Music Review: MiXE1 – ‘Lights Out’ EP

MiXE1 is an electronic rock powerhouse who has recently rocked the indie music scene with his EP, Lights Out. The Hertfordshire, United Kingdom-based group’s release dropped on July 27. The band consists of Mike Evans on the synthesizer and vocals, Lee Towson on guitars, Lee O’Brien on the drums, and Marcos Farias on bass.

They are very similar to Blue Stahli, Celldweller, Deftones, Massive Attack, Muse, Starfucker, and Linkin Park. In all honesty, their music reminds me of when Skrillex recorded tracks with Korn. There were equal parts rock and electronic music and they energized and empowered each other. There is a wide range of influences on their EP that is showcased in various songs. MiXE1 marries pop music with rock and electronic music beautifully. Their music would be very good music for a party or to work out to. There’s an undeniable energy that pulsates through every beat and can work almost any crowd.

While “energy” is definitely the first word that comes to mind when talking about MiXE1, “androgyny” is definitely the second. It’s definitely difficult to tell if the vocalist is a male or female without prior knowledge of the band. But, in my opinion, this works for the band more.

“Lights Out” establishes the tone of the EP beautifully. It is an incredibly energetic, fast-paced number. It has an energy that can be translated into anything: sex, lust, competition, sports, or even just starting the day as you should. “Lights Out” is a song that you can dance to in a club or hit the elliptical on at the gym. There is a bit of a trippy synthesizer rhythm to it and a bit of a darker rock sound with the drum beats in the background and the guitar riffs.

“Part of Me” starts out very rhythm-heavy and progresses into more of a rock track than an electronic one. The vocals are more defined here, as are the guitar riffs and drums. Another interesting feature of this song is the usage of screaming on this track that is usually more associated with metal. It has this haunting sound that releases a more sexual energy in it.

“Pulling You Back to My World” is another track that is very dark and haunting. The guitar riffs are more pronounced here than in the other songs on the EP. The vocals are also contrasted more; in some parts the vocalist hits a series of higher notes, then contrasts them with bursts of lower-pitched notes, which leads to an interesting contrast in the track. It reminds me a lot of Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole.” That might seem pretty strange but, the riffs and vocal contrasts are incredibly similar. The vocal contrasts showcase the artist’s talent beautifully in both songs.

MiXE1’s debut album, Starlit Skin, is currently being mixed and is due at the end of the year. This is definitely a band to watch and I think that we can expect to see them for many years to come.